1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing processing device and a method for controlling the printing processing device, particularly, a printing processing device capable of providing information of a job executed in response to a printing request, a method for controlling the printing processing device, an image processing device, and a document management device.
2. Description of the Related Art
When printing document data, for example, under the Windows (a registered trademark) OS (Operating System), a user starts up an application able to handle the document data and issues a printing command to print the document data on a certain printer. After that, the document data are converted by a printing driver, which receives a request from the application, into printing data able to be processed by the specified printer. Afterwards, the printing data are output to a spooler, and are further transmitted to the printer from the spooler through a port monitor.
The user is able to confirm the state of the printing process by using tools provided by the OS. Generally, one is able to view jobs in the spooler with these tools.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-166630 (below, referred to as “reference 1”) discloses an invention in which when printing document data on a number of printers in response to one printing request, job information is provided to allow a user to confirm the relation between a parent job corresponding to the printing request and sub-jobs on the respective printers.
When the user makes one printing request to print a number of document files, at different stages of the printing process corresponding to the printing request, a first type of job can be defined to correspond to the printing process for all of the document files related to the printing request, and a second type of job can be defined to correspond to a printing process for each of the document files.
That is, the first type of job is generated at the time when the printing request is received, and the second type of job is generated when the printing process proceeds one file by one file based on the first type of job.
The jobs in the spooler, which are confirmable to the user, correspond to the second type of jobs. Therefore, even though the user is able to confirm the state of the printing process of each document file, he cannot easily confirm, for example, completion of the printing process of all the document files related to the printing request.
Especially, in the spooler of a server, which executes printing processes after receiving requests from more than one client, because printing requests from more than one user exist, even when a user is able to confirm the states of the second type of jobs related to his printing request, it is difficult for the user to confirm the state of the first type of job related to his printing request.
The method disclosed in the aforesaid reference 1 enables easy confirmation of states of jobs in the specified printers, but is not capable of providing job information of different jobs generated at different stages of the printing process corresponding to the printing request.